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Bell: Jets' additions are loaded with risk, reward

Marty Mornhinweg was on the phone the other day, and the buzz coming from him was palpable. The bubbly New York Jets offensive coordinator is the seemingly lucky chap who was granted his top three free agency

Marty Mornhinweg was on the phone the other day, and the buzz coming from him was palpable.

The bubbly New York Jets offensive coordinator is the seemingly lucky chap who was granted his top three free agency wishes — his own version of The Triplets, sorely needed to inject some juice in a sputtering unit.

Eric Decker? Until DeSean Jackson was kicked to the curb by Chip Kelly and headed south down I-95, Decker was arguably the best receiver on the market this year. Look at his huge stats.

Chris Johnson? He's got a 2,000-yard season on his resume, and with a $4 million average salary on his new deal he pretty much broke the bank for what they're paying NFL running backs these days.

Mike Vick? He lost his job to Nick Foles, but was arguably the best quarterback on the market. He found a perfect landing as he walked into the door knowing Mornhinweg's offense.

Yes, Mornhinweg — whose unit ranked 29th in the NFL last season for scoring and 31st in passing yards — should be energized by the arrival of his new tools.

And don't forget Jacoby Ford and his dynamic speed, the coach reminded.

"I've got great excitement," Mornhinweg said.

Just don't get carried away. It's May.

Jets GM John Idzik, with some of the most ample salary cap room in the league this offseason, did what he had to do to upgrade the talent base of an offense that hindered the development of its rookie quarterback last season by not supplying him with enough surrounding weapons.

Yet free agency can be fool's gold. What looks good on paper and on the practice field in the spring can have an entirely different look in the fall. Because of that, the Jets are rolling with some big ifs.

Take Decker. Even with his size (6-3, 218) and stats (87 catches, 1,288 yards, 11 TDs in 2013), there are questions about whether he's physical enough.

And while Decker undoubtedly had a key role in a record-breaking offense, there's always the Peyton Manning factor to consider: Play with Peyton, see numbers inflate.

Now the challenge is for Decker, getting No. 1 receiver money (five years, $36.25 million), to provide No. 1 production after playing opposite Demaryius Thomas in Denver.

History has shown us a lot of flops involving No. 2 receivers progressing to No. 1 roles after their big free agency pay days.

"I don't perceive it like that," countered Mornhinweg. "I think really good players will thrive under any type of coach or system."

That said, with 12 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft (the Jets are tied with the St. Louis Rams for most selections), it behooves Idzik to reach into a deep receiver pool next week and continue the overhaul by complementing his free agent additions. And while at it, they can bolster the thin tight end position, too.

When someone asked Idzik, in his second year at the helm, if it's safe to say the Jets will draft a receiver, he said, "I wouldn't say it's safe to say anything at this point."

That applies to the other big pickups, too. With Johnson and Vick, I wonder about mileage and durability.

Vick played 16 games just once in his 12-year career, while Johnson didn't play 16 games just once in six seasons — his rookie year. Johnson comes to New York with six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, the longest active streak in the NFL.

He's been durable. But for how much longer? Johnson, turning 29 this year, has logged 1,742 NFL carries. Mornhinweg knows the history for aging running backs, too.

The significant drop-off often comes around the 2,000-carry mark. Judicious is the word for how Mornhinweg will deploy Johnson — whose appeal includes his big-play threat and role as a receiver out of the backfield while rotating with Chris Ivory.

"Chris and I had a conversation very specifically about some of those things," Mornhinweg said. Last year, he added, Johnson played with a cartilage tear. Presumably, he's been fixed by arthroscopic surgery and will be further fueled by a chip on his shoulder to prove the doubters wrong.

"As recent as a year, year-and-a-half ago, this guy was dynamite," Mornhinweg added.

Yet in the NFL, a year-and-half is a long time ago. As the years have progressed, Johnson's had fewer long runs and more negative rushes. The Jets are banking on him having some explosiveness left in the tank.

The trek should intriguing enough with all of the high-profile additions.

If Vick wins the job, the next questions will include how Smith's growth is impacted, whether he will avoid turnovers and when might he wind up back on the injury list.

No matter. As bad as the Jets offense was last year, they are better-equipped now — even with the 'ifs' attached.